Qualities essential in an assistant; [News items];

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Bulletin HASKINS & SELLS 27
Qualities Essential in an Assistant
T H E Director of Professional Training
was asked recently to state the princi­pal
qualities essential to the success of an
assistant accountant. The qualities named
are as follows:
Alacrity
Concentration
Application
Reasonable speed
Absolute accuracy
Dependableness
Pleasing appearance
Neatness
Orderliness
Punctuality
Personality
Ability to learn
Alacrity sums up a number of things.
It means that attitude which is cheerful
and willing coupled with promptitude. It
is enthusiastic response to a suggestion or
request. It is the manifestation of a de­sire
to do gladly whatever one is asked to
do. Some men show by the expression on
their faces that they are not pleased at
the task to which they have been assigned.
Others may give no evidence through
facial expression as to their feelings but
show by manner their displeasure; or their
attitude may be indicated by a side remark
to the person sitting alongside. The man
who answers the test of alacrity is the man
who when he is asked to do anything jumps
to it as if it were the one thing in the world
which would give him the most pleasure at
the moment.
No one need hesitate to display alacrity.
It is not a sign of toadying. It is no mark
of servility. It is a part of the game. It
makes for success. It is a quality to be
cultivated accordingly.
Concentration denotes ability to focus
the mind. To hear instructions is not suf­ficient.
A grasp of their meaning is neces­sary.
Spoken words impinge upon the ear­drums.
Frequently they make no impres­sion
upon the brain. They are said to pass
in one ear and out the other. Such occur­rences
show lack of concentration. To un­derstand
the person who hears must react,
meaning, that the brain must respond.
The idea must be conveyed. To accom­plish
this generally requires concentration.
A woman who frequently had occasion
to call her husband on the telephone some­times
found it necessary to leave a message
with his secretary. The messages were al­ways
delivered correctly. The woman was
never asked to repeat anything even
though the messages often contained
names and numbers. She remarked about
it to her husband who did not seem
a bit surprised. It was no more than was
to be expected of a secretary who had de­veloped
the power of concentration to a
point where to. give him a message to de­liver
or a task to perform was to dismiss
the matter from one's mind.
Concentration is not confined to the
ability to receive and understand instruc­tions.
It goes further. It embraces the
faculty of casting out of one's mind all
subjects except the one selected and think­ing
only about the latter. The person who
does this is oblivious to his surroundings as
well as to what is going on about him.
Application is ability to pursue a task
with steadfastness and diligence. Persons
who scatter their activities usually accom­plish
little. Work which is interrupted is
unsatisfactory. One who talks much is apt
to work little. A man who was on the
staff several years ago was far from popu­lar
with his associates because of a dis­agreeable
personality, but he was usually in
demand because of the inordinate amount
of work which he was able to turn out.
The reason for the latter was clear. He
came in at the usual hour, went about his
work and without a word to anyone con­tinued
during the morning without inter­ruption
until he went out to lunch. In the
afternoon the performance was repeated.
He did one thing at a time. The result
was a maximum amount of work.
There is a time for play and a time for
work. They do not go together. A little
conversation at times is necessary to break
the monotony. It does interfere with ap-